I'm So Sorry for the long wait. This will be the second or third last chapter and then it will be finished. I hope that you aren't to mad at me for taking so long. The last chapter should follow this one pretty quickly. Thank you for all of the reviews and I hope that the ending will live up to your expectations. I also hope that every one had a great Christmas! So I won't keep you any longer. Here's the next installment.

Chapter Nine

Terry and max both ran silently down the many corridors of the Watchtower. Terry lead, he knew this place's schematics like the back of his hand. He took a few shortcuts to the docking bay and in a few minutes they were in the decompression bay.

The two of them then snuck on board of the Javelin. Then they went into the rear of the ship and crouched down in the shadows.

"Hey, Max," Terry whispered softly to Max as they made themselves as comfortable as possible, " Hit the small button on the side of your belt buckle."

"What will this do?" she whispered back as she pressed the button and turned to her partner.

"It will shield our thought patterns from J'onn so he won't sense us on the ship with them. So as long as we remain silent we won't be detected. Now be as silent as possible, I can hear them coming." Terry then kept quiet.

Max also able to hear the JLU coming shut her trap and wondered what else was installed in her suit that she didn't know about.

"Why do I always have to be the lure, the bait, the distraction?" the Flash complained as he entered the Javelin first followed closely by Diana and the others. He was wearing a replica of the bat suit that Terry wore.

"We have already gone over this so stop complaining already," said the Green Lantern sternly. The Flash just turned and glared at him. "Well, now we know that it isn't the suit that makes a glare look intense. The Flash still looks like a goofball."

The Flash just started mumbling to himself. The two passengers hidden in the shadows smirked at the last statement.

'It's a talent' thought Terry.

The flight down to Earth from the Watchtower was pretty uneventful due to the sulking Flash in one of the back seats. As they neared the drop location the Justice League started to go over their assigned positions for the last time. The two in the shadows listened in on the plan but knew that whatever they tried Death would be ready.

As soon as they touched down and opened the ramp the stowaways quietly snuck off of the ship behind the unsuspecting JLU. When the two bats were out of earshot they de-cloaked.

"Batman, do you think that the old man and Superman are alright?" Max asked from behind Terry. Her voice held a slight hint of worry as she spoke.

Terry turned around and placed a hand on her shoulder, "I don't think that Death harmed them, yet. Remember he is using them for bait. He probably intends to capture everyone and then dispose of them all in front of me. Then he'd kill me."

"But there is no way that will happen."

"Why, Batgirl I had no idea you had so much faith in me," Terry said with a smirk.

"I don't," the smirk left and a hurt look replaced it, "it'll never happen because if he lays another hand on you I'll start PMSing and he wont know what hit him." Max ended with a smirk of her own and moved past a stunned Terry and headed for their destination. Terry then followed, the smirk back in place.

They were headed for where they believed Bruce and Clark were being kept. Max had found Bruce's trace and discovered Death's hideout. Their plan was to free them first while Death was distracted with the JLU seeing as there was no way that Death would even consider taking his hostages with him. If he did then his hostages may be lost to him before he gets what he wants.

Then when those two were safe they would head back and give the JLU a hand. That is if JLU can keep Death there with their plan.

Back at the drop site the Flash, in costume, walked out into the open while faking a limp and trying to maintain some semblance of Batman. J'onn was fazed and hiding in some of the crates nearby, Hawk man was soaring high, and GL and Wonder Woman were standing in plain view.

"All right Death, we've done our part now where are the two hostages?" called GL.

"Very good," a voice called out from seemingly everywhere. "But, did you really think that that pathetic excuse for a substitute would fool me. Of course what did I expect from the Justice League?"

Just then a barrage of laser fire was directed at where GL and Wonder Woman were. Diana flew up and started to block and dodge the beams while GL created a protective bubble around him. Just as he did this, the red laser fire turned to yellow and started to pierce the lantern's shield.

"What the…?" the Green Lantern couldn't figure out how Death had found his ring's weakness. He then started to maneuver the laser fire but was clipped in the arm and leg.

Down below Jon had come out of his hiding place when the crates caught fire. He was starting to loose strength and stumbled backwards. The Flash went to speed over but as soon as he moved in super speed he tripped a motion device calibrated to detect high speeds. A barrage of rapidly pulsating light and sonic pulses bombarded the Flash's senses. He felt sharp pains start to come from his eyes and it felt like his head would explode. He shut his eyes but the light penetrated his eyelids and he couldn't keep his balance.

He fell forward and onto his side clutching his head in pain. Then darkness started to play at his vision and he sunk into soothing darkness. The sonic pulses then directed themselves at the now furious Hawk man flying toward the now fallen GL. He was caught off guard and as he was hit with them he screamed momentarily then fell from the sky unconscious.

Wonder Woman was still fighting with the laser cannons but was able to disable most of them. She hadn't been able to help Green Lantern but she had made headway. She also didn't notice that she was the last one standing until she finished off the last cannon. When she looked around all she saw were the unconscious forms of her colleagues.

Then she noticed something move in the shadows to her right. She turned towards it and saw a man in a cloak with a sickle and a skull mask. "So, you are the only one left standing? Such a pity that the others weren't as resilient, I would've loved to have more fun with them as I did with Batman. Although a little under trained he holds great potential for a warrior. I would have loved to make him my student but that is not what fate had in store. I have been paid to dispose of him and all of you as well."

Wonder Woman, listening to this was becoming more and more disgusted with Death. She chose that moment to lunge at Death. Instead of dodging though Death dropped back and let her fly over him, then kicked her with both feet and sent her into a wall. She stood back up fairly quickly and made for him again.

He moved forward slightly and raised his sickle. As she made another attack he activated the energy blade and swiped at her abdomen as he dodged the punches aimed at his head. He caught her off balance and the blade tore through her uniform and left a slight gash on her side. He then spun around changing his grip on the sickle and hit her in the back of the head with the butt of the staff. She fell forward unconscious.

Death stepped over her and sent a signal to his van hidden in the shadows so he could round up the JLU and await the real Batman's arrival. Just then something went flying by his head. He stopped and looked in the direction from whence it came and saw his prey.

Earlier at Death's stronghold

"Batman, I've found them," Max relayed over her COM link. In front of her were the two forms of Superman and Bruce Wayne inside of what appeared to be stasis pods. She tried searching for some sort of control panel when Terry came down from one of the upper levels of the building.

"Well, it looks like they're all right. I found Death's control center and he's not here. At least our hunch was correct about him leaving them here." Terry then put his hand on the glass of Bruce's pod. "Now, to get you two out of here."

"There don't seem to be any control panels for the chambers that I can see," stated Max as she finished checking out the areas around the pods. "I guess we'll just have to try the direct approach." Max then walked up to Superman's pod and extended her claws and took a swipe at the glass. Nothing but a small scratch was left behind from the claws.

"My turn," said Terry as he took out a batarrang and stuck it to Superman's pod. "Okay, back up a little bit," then he pressed a button on the explosive and stepped back himself.

Five seconds later the bat exploded and the glass was shattered. They both moved up and grabbed Superman and removed him from the pod and sent another explosive into the pod, which stopped the kryptonite light.

Soon the man of steel was revived enough to help get Bruce out of his pod by using his heat vision. Bat woman helped Superman out while Terry carried Bruce out of the building they were in. Terry then called the Batmobile and put Bruce and Superman inside. He then grabbed some extra weapons out of the plane and divided them up between Max and himself.

"Ready, I'm sure the others are in trouble by now?" Terry asked as he turned and started to walk off in the direction that the drop site was.

"Yeah, I'm ready. What about you? Are you sure that you will be able to handle a difficult fight?" Max looked at him with a worried gaze. Terry just sighed and shook his head.

"We've been over this already. I have to whether I'm up to par or not. Besides I really have a score to settle with this dreg. I'll worry about the consequences later." With that Terry put his hand on her shoulder and gave her his lopsided smile. "I also think it's only fair to let the dreg have a chance to fight back and not be totally humiliated, you'd pick him apart in three seconds with that temper of yours." With a smirk he rocketed off to avoid the slap that was to hit his shoulder.

Max just sighed and mumbled to herself as she flew after him, "how you ever managed to become Batman I'll never know."

As they reached the appointed area they saw that all but Wonder Woman had fallen and even she was just falling. As Death hit a controller Batman launched a batarang at Death's head, to which he ducked. As Batman and Batwoman landed Death turned towards them and grinned in expectation.

"I knew you'd come sooner or later," Death brought his sickle up and turned on the energy blade then directed his attention to Batwoman, "and I see that you have brought company. This will be entertaining."

"I assume that she is here to collect the pieces of your remains after you surrender to me?" Death questioned with a pointed stare.

"I don't think that I'll be surrendering today," Terry said coolly as he smirked at Death, "besides, I don't think you have any bargaining chips left." Terry stated as he saw Superman fly off with the last Justice League member.

Death's eyes flew wide open and whirled around to see the last traces of a red cape as Superman left the area. He then whipped back around and glared at Terry, "YOU! I will destroy you!" Death started to lunge but caught himself and calmed. He would not lose control of his emotions and control. This amateur would not outsmart him again.

Death took a step back and sized up the two bats in front of him. Batman looked calm and relaxed but his tight shoulders told that he still hurt from their first encounter but was repressing it. The second, Batwoman he supposed, was in a familiar martial arts crouch looking ready but her deepened breathing and slight glances to her partner suggested that she was nervous; whether from Death or for her companion's condition he couldn't tell. He could also tell that they were both very determined; this would be a most interesting battle indeed.

(A/N) I'm going to leave it here for now but I will have the next chapter up before my birthday on the 14th. I also think I will start to post some other stories soon. Please leave your impressions and comments in the reviews. Till next time!